Enter and view: Horseley Heath Medical Centre

Healthwatch Sandwell carried out an Enter and View visit to Horseley Heath Medical Centre in January 2020 to gather patients' views and assess their experiences of using the practice. The surgery serves approximately 11,400 patients across Horseley Heath Medical Centre and its sister practice, Tandon Medical Centre, and had previously received an overall Good rating from the Care Quality Commission.

Healthwatch representatives visited the practice on two occasions and completed surveys with 23 patients. The surgery was observed to be clean, tidy and well maintained, with a range of health information available in the waiting area. Patients were seen using the electronic check-in system and collecting prescriptions efficiently.

Most survey respondents had been registered with the practice for a long period, with nearly half having attended for more than ten years. This indicated a stable and established patient population.

Patients generally reported positive experiences when booking appointments. Almost half said it was easy or very easy to make an appointment, while around one third said they could not always obtain an appointment when needed. Online booking was the most commonly used alternative method of booking appointments, followed by booking in person or by telephone. When appointments were unavailable, patients most commonly chose to attend a walk-in centre or wait until an appointment became available. 

All respondents stated that they were happy with the services provided by the surgery. Patients described GPs as attentive, helpful and thorough, saying they felt listened to and were given sufficient time during consultations. Several respondents also highlighted the practice's positive approach to treating children and accommodating patients' needs. 

Patients who required medication reviews reported that they were able to access them, with most saying their last review had taken place within the previous two months. 

Although satisfaction levels were very high, more than half of respondents identified areas where the practice could improve. Suggestions included increasing staffing levels, providing information about doctors' specialties and availability, improving telephone response times, offering more advance appointments and additional afternoon appointment slots, introducing onsite blood testing, and increasing the size of the waiting area.

Awareness of the Patient Participation Group was mixed, with only 39% of patients knowing that one existed. However, nearly three quarters of respondents knew how to make a complaint if necessary. 

All patients surveyed said they would recommend the practice to family and friends, reflecting very high overall satisfaction with the service.

Overall, Healthwatch found that patients had a very positive view of Horseley Heath Medical Centre and were satisfied with the quality of care they received. The report made several recommendations, including increasing appointment availability, providing clearer information about clinicians and their specialties, promoting the Patient Participation Group more effectively, exploring onsite blood testing, improving waiting room capacity, and continuing to encourage and act on patient feedback.